The Dead Zone
by TimeGuardian
Summary: Lady Penelope disappears while investigating a plot to disrupt shipping across the world's oceans. International Rescue must figure out what is going on and stop the plot before it's too late - for the world and for Lady Penelope. Movieverse with some TV elements.
1. Chapter 1

_The Dead Zone  
A Thunderbirds Movieverse fanfic  
by TimeGuardian_

Chapter One

Parker's head hurt. This wasn't anything new – in his younger days when he ran with a rougher crowd, he would normally spend his weekends at the nearest pub, drinking away whatever ill-gotten gains he obtained. The next day would be spent sleeping off the ensuing headache that almost always came on.

Only he was older now, and in the service of Lady Penelope. The only time he drank these days was when he got the day off or relaxing after assisting her ladyship with particularly tough matters, especially when assisting International Rescue or other agencies that ask for help.

Reluctantly, he first pried his left eye open and then his right. Light slammed at his senses, and Parker quickly shut his eyes again with a groan. From what little he saw though, Parker realized that he was sitting in the driver's seat of FAB-1.

This was very strange – he couldn't remember how he came to be there, and there was one other matter that concerned him.

He raised his voice as loud as his throbbing head would allow him to in order to call out. "Milady, are you back there?"

Nothing – no greeting, no rebuke for having been waylaid – Lady Penelope was simply gone.

Parker tried opening his eyes a little slower. He had to find out what was going on.

This time when he opened them, the light was a little bit friendlier and he was able to focus on his surroundings. Parker looked around but nothing looked out of the ordinary in FAB-1. The backseat was empty with no sign of Lady Penelope, and when he looked out the windshield to try and figure out where he was, all he could see were signs of a grassy field with a line of trees circling the perimeter. No help there.

He tried thinking as far back as he could, but all he could seem to focus on was the pain. Lifting an arm, Parker felt around on the back of his head until he found an egg sized lump on his head. No wonder he was hurting – he was going to need assistance for sure.

There was nothing else to go on, so Parker drew on the information that Lady Penelope drilled into him in case of emergencies and if this situation didn't scream emergency, he didn't know what did.

Leaning forward, he accessed the communication systems of FAB-1 and made a transmission. "International Rescue from FAB-1, please respond."

* * *

On Thunderbird Five, John was working on taking readings of a storm system that was ravaging the Caribbean islands when he heard the transmission from FAB-1. He recognized the voice or at least he thought he did, but something seemed off.

He moved to the communication panel and transmitted a response. "Thunderbird Five receiving your transmission - Parker, is that you?"

"Yes."

"Are you all right? Where's Lady Penelope?"

"I have a nasty bump on the head and I don't know where I am."

The way Parker's voice was coming through was enough to unnerve John. He knew that the transmission strength was solid but the way Parker's voice wavered along with his confession meant a possible concussion or worse. "Parker, are you near FAB-1?"

"I'm calling you from the driver's seat."

John shifted his attention to the scanners and started searching for FAB-1's signal along with Lady Penelope's. After a few minutes John had the car's location pinpointed but there was no sign of her still. "That should be enough. I've triangulated your location, Parker. Sit tight, and we'll get you help."

"Yes sir, but I am concerned for Lady Penelope. I don't know where her ladyship could be."

Truth be told, he was concerned as well. John knew that Lady Penelope normally kept a compact on her that housed a built in communicator. He could normally track her movements with that if called upon, but the scan he just tried didn't pick up anything at all. "Don't worry about a thing, Parker. If anyone can find her, it's International Rescue."

* * *

Lady Penelope woke up - somewhere. It was hard to see – it looked to be nighttime, or somewhere there was little light. The ground beneath her was hard but she could tell little else.

The last thing that Lady Penelope could remember, she was set to meet a contact in a field about some information on ships disappearing in the open sea. Parker drove her to the meeting and then she couldn't remember anything else.

She found herself lying on her side. Strangely enough she wasn't tied up which didn't say much - the last time that she had been waylaid, it had been at the hands of the Hood and he left her unbound as well and that situation turned out to be a fight for her life.*

Moaning with the effort, Lady Penelope managed to push herself into a sitting position. Her eyes finally adjusted to the lack of available light to the point that she recognized that she was in a warehouse of some sort. Wooden boxes of various sizes were stacked to the ceiling, and over in one corner she could just make out the outline of what looked like a forklift. _Well, that's an improvement at least_.

Though she was sure of what she would find, Lady Penelope checked to find that all of her 'toys' that she liked to keep with her were gone - no one would be able to find her at this rate.

Lady Penelope knew the Hood was still in prison, in fact she checked on that information only last week. There were many other possibilities as to whoever else may have targeted her, which did nothing to quell the uneasiness she was feeling. She knew that if she was going to find a way out of this situation, she would have to work fast.

She pushed herself up until she was able to get on her feet. After a moment to make sure that she was steady, Lady Penelope started looking around with more focus. Maybe if she found an exit-

"Ah, so the intrepid little secret agent is awake."

After she heard the voice, a familiar figure stepped into view which Lady Penelope recognized instantly. She didn't even bother to keep the contempt out of her voice.

"You."

* * *

_*A reference to one of my earlier stories, Unnatural Sabotage. Not nessecary to read it in order to understand this one._

_Where in the world is Lady Penelope? I'm not telling - not yet at any rate. ;)_

_Standard story disclaimers apply – This idea is one chapter old. I'm not sure how quick I can be with this, but I promise to try and make it worth the wait if you stick around._

_And now, I shall go hide behind the customary rock and work on the next chapter._

_Till Next Time,_

_TimeGuardian_


	2. Chapter 2

_The Dead Zone  
A Thunderbirds Movieverse fanfic  
by TimeGuardian_

Chapter Two

The woman that stepped into her view was not much taller than Lady Penelope. However, with the three inch black heels the woman wore, she nearly looked like a giant dressed in what looked like a long black pantsuit. With her long red hair braided neatly back in a French braid style to finish the look, Lady Cassandra Worthington looked every bit the rouge agent that Lady Penelope knew her to be.

Cassandra strolled up to her. "Ah Lady Penelope, it is so good to see you again."

Lady Penelope crossed her arms and glared at her. "I assure you the feeling is not mutual, Cassandra. I suppose that the contact I was due to meet has met an untimely demise?"

"You suppose correctly, Penelope. The little weasel you set on my trail was not so easy to find, but I caught him finally after I overheard him call you from a local pub. It was a simple matter of ambushing him after that and spiriting you away from your manservant."

She couldn't quite keep the worry out of her voice as she asked, "Yes, I suppose it was. How about Parker, what did you do to him?"

Cassandra shrugged her shoulders as if it was a small matter. "I left him with a nasty lump on his head – I had to get my message across somehow."

Lady Penelope winced – for this woman to kill their contact but leave Parker intact – the lady was being overly malicious. In fact, from the reports she had received from her sources, Cassandra bought her title the hard way by marrying into a prominent family and then killing them off one by one until she was the only one left. From what she knew, this was one trait that Lady Cassandra was no stranger to, among other things. "Message? The last time I ran across your exploits Cassandra, you were bankrolling a scientist with a propensity towards using robotics to terrorize people."

"Terrorize is such a strong word. I would rather go with 'showing people the error of their ways.'"

They were getting far from the point, so Lady Penelope changed tactics. "Let's get back to the present, shall we? What is your game this time? Why would you be interested in destroying cargo ships?"

This time Cassandra laughed. "My, my – you expect me to spill all of my plans as neatly as that? I'm not going to make it that easy, though I will say a new avenue of revenue will now be open to me. "

"Ah, creating your own markets to take over – how mercenary of you."

"Enough of this idle chit-chat - you tried to be a spoiler before my plans were ready, Lady Penelope, so that is why you are here now. I also know that you ally yourself with International Rescue, so I know they will try and hunt you down as well."

Nothing surprised her about Cassandra at this point. Lady Penelope declared, "If you know that, then you should know that International Rescue has powerful tools at their disposal. They will not stop until they locate me and shut your little enterprise down."

Cassandra grinned wickedly. "Oh I have no doubt about that, but I have a few surprises of my own. Mr. Barnes, if you please?"

She thought that they were alone in the warehouse but when Lady Cassandra looked over behind her, Lady Penelope turned quickly to find a hulking male shape looming in the darkness behind her. She fell back into a defensive stance, hoping that she could hold him off.

Suddenly a wave of energy struck her squarely in the back. With a cry, Lady Penelope fell forward on the ground, her thoughts scrambled.

The last thing she heard before she completely lost consciousness was the sound of Cassandra's laughter.

* * *

Jeff Tracy was looking over invoices at his desk in his study when the light flashed from a special panel on his desk. He pressed a button that was near the light and spoke quickly. "I read you John, what's going on?"

"Parker needs a pickup – he's called in and it sounds like he's got a head injury, dad."

Jeff frowned. "Does Parker know where Lady Penelope is?"

"She's disappeared by the sound of it. Can't hardly get any straight answers out of Parker either due to his injury – he says he can't remember anything. What do we do?"

He thought for a moment before replying to his son. "I'll have Virgil and Gordon take Thunderbird Two to pick Parker up and see if they can get a line on where Lady Penelope might be. Once they are in the air I'll have them contact you for the coordinates."

"FAB," John replied quickly, "We usually don't get into mysteries like this, dad - is it serious?"

Jeff smiled grimly at the question – John was very intuitive when he wanted to be. "It is, John. Keep your ears open and immediately report to me any communication chatter you hear about ocean shipping or anything on Lady Penelope, okay?"

"FAB"

After the transmission ended, Jeff sat back in his chair and worried. He only just had a conversation with Lady Penelope two days ago and remembered it quite clearly:

_Jeff, I have an inside line on the shipping disruptions that have occurred over the past two months. I've pinned it down to an old foe I have dealt with before, and with any luck I'll have them put to a stop soon. _

_What are you going to do, Penny?_

_One of my contacts has a lead on her location. Parker and I will go out and meet my contact and when I get the location information, I will make sure the authorities are alerted straight away._

_Are you sure that's wise? From what information you've given me so far, this criminal has been the cause of at least two dozen ships sinking in the ocean, half of which we helped rescue the crews on. This doesn't sound like a person who can be stopped easily._

_Jeff, you worry too much. I've been at this game long before you asked me to be an agent for International Rescue. I have also outsmarted this particular individual before – trust me._

_Okay Penny, go for it. The sooner that this person is stopped the better. Promise me you will call when the location has been determined?_

_I promise, Jeff. _

Only now she was missing and Parker physically assaulted. He trusted Lady Penelope implicitly, but Jeff knew full well that she would have called in by now if she was able to. She was also never one to break a promise to him. No doubt about it – she was in trouble.

He activated the command and control center and sounded the klaxon alarm that would call his sons into action.

* * *

_So Lady Cassandra is quite the troublemaker. We'll see what trouble she will cause next time._

_Till Next Time,_

_TimeGuardian_


	3. Chapter 3

_The Dead Zone  
A Thunderbirds Movieverse fanfic  
by TimeGuardian_

Chapter Three

Virgil and Gordon Tracy made preparations to land Thunderbird Two in the field that the coordinates led them to.

When their dad sounded the alarm, Gordon was afraid that it was going to be another ship sinking in the ocean. The past two months had been incredibly rough for all of them – unfortunately there were casualties but to hear each crew that they helped tell it, there would have been many more if not for the help of International Rescue. Some of the stricken ships had lifeboats and escape pods but the way each of them sunk so quickly, many of the crews did not have time to reach their methods of escape.

Outside the main view window, they both noticed that the clearing that they ended up landing beside was fairly massive. Even though Thunderbird Two couldn't fit there, there was more than enough room for other things, apparently including FAB-1, which sat at the far edge of the clearing near a group of trees. The trees themselves that ringed the clearing were not densely packed, but still enough to prevent most vehicles from getting into the clearing by driving in.

"Pretty secluded spot," Gordon muttered from where he sat in the chair beside Virgil.

"It's also not Lady Penelope's style," Virgil commented, " She normally picks meeting spots with a lot more hiding places, or goes the opposite way and chooses a totally public place."

"You're right, Virgil – so what does that mean to us?"

Virgil finished landing Thunderbird Two and shut down the engines before he looked out the main view window. "It means that this wasn't where her contact meet was supposed to happen. Why don't you check the perimeter for anything strange while I check on Parker and FAB-1?"

Gordon nodded as he got out of his seat. "FAB"

Virgil rode out of Thunderbird Two on a hover bike over to where FAB-1 was situated. As he landed near the Rolls Royce and stepped off his bike, he noticed that there were no car tracks around the car. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary to fly or float somewhere for Lady Penelope but with the lack of tracks and the position near the trees, it meant the whole car had to have been brought here. Whoever spirited Lady Penelope away had access to some big toys indeed.

As he approached the driver side, he noticed that the door was open. Parker was slumped forward against the steering wheel, a trickle of blood trailing down the side of his head from what looked like a nasty lump.

Virgil kneeled on the ground beside the car and grabbed for one of Parker's wrists to check for a pulse. He shut out the noise of the birds and wind as he counted for nearly a minute before standing back up. Parker's pulse was slow but steady and considering the state of the car, Virgil was sure that Parker did not get injured while behind the wheel.

Parker moaned, and Virgil leaned into the car to check on him. "Take it easy, Parker. We're here to help you."

"Must…find..her ladyship."

It was as John reported – Parker's words sounded slurred. He would have to be checked out in a hospital. Virgil tried to soothe him. "Relax, Parker. Gordon and I are here to help you and find Lady Penelope."

At the mention of Lady Penelope's name, Parker tried to sit up. All the while, he continued to talk. "Meet at the docks – bright light…Lady Penelope gone."

That confirmed his other suspicion. Virgil made a move to try and restrain Parker when he suddenly heard a loud noise behind him.

"Virgil!"

He scrambled to his feet at the sound of the shout, head whipping around quickly. In his efforts to help Parker, Virgil hadn't noticed the sounds of Gordon's hover bike but there Gordon was, landing his bike. Gordon then rushed over to him.

Virgil took a steadying breath before glaring at his brother. "Gordon, you scared me. What's wrong?"

"I think I might have found Lady Penelope's contact out on the opposite edge of this clearing."

The haunted look on Gordon's face told him enough, but still Virgil asked in order to confirm his suspicion. "Dead?"

When Gordon nodded shakily, Virgil turned back towards Parker and called out. "Help me get Parker loaded onto Thunderbird Two and then we will load FAB-1 on board as well."

"Why?"

Virgil turned back to face Gordon. "The body will have to be reported. The last thing we want is anyone from International Rescue to be tied into murder. Come on."

It took Virgil and Gordon nearly an hour to extricate Parker and secure both him and FAB-1 and get them both loaded onto Thunderbird Two. It was a little over another hour before they walked out of the nearest hospital after leaving Parker there for treatment and observation.

They boarded Thunderbird Two and made it back to the main control room.

"We need to update John," Virgil stated as he settled back into his pilot's seat. "He promised to anonymously report the body to the local authorities but he may have more ideas about our situation."

Gordon nodded in agreement as he took a seat near Virgil. "Agreed – I wouldn't look forward to searching the nearest docks for signs of a secret meeting that was supposed to have taken place. Allow me."

Leaning over to the nearest panel, Gordon activated the communication link and spoke quickly. "Thunderbird Five from Thunderbird Two."

"Thunderbird Five receiving you. Any leads on where Lady Penelope might be?"

Virgil shook his head as he spoke up. "Sorry, John – the only thing we managed to get out of Parker before we dropped him off at the hospital was that he drove Lady Penelope to a meet somewhere at the docks, and then he couldn't remember anything else."

John's tone of voice was not daunted. "I have an idea. Did you two hold on to FAB-1?"

"Of course – we kept it with us here on Thunderbird Two because it was the only way to ensure that Parker wouldn't try to run off and look for Penelope on his own. Why?" Gordon asked.

"Give me a minute."

Both Virgil and Gordon waited – it was nearly five minutes before they heard John's voice again. "Okay – I've tapped into the navigational and GPS systems of FAB-1 and managed to backtrack their movements for the past few days right up until FAB-1 was abandoned in that clearing. I have new coordinates for you to check out at the docks and I'm transmitting them to you now."

Virgil chuckled. "Thanks John – you're beginning to be a regular hacker up there."

John laughed right back at them. "Oh, you have no idea. Thunderbird Five out."

Gordon shook his head as he checked the incoming coordinates. "You know, he scares me sometimes. You wouldn't believe the amount of personal password protected documents he has stored up there."

Virgil gave him a questioning glance before shaking his head. "I'm not even going to touch that one. How about giving me those coordinates so we can be on our way?"

Gordon cleared his throat before giving him a guilty glance. "Right."

* * *

The coastal town that John's coordinates led them to was simple and yet showed signs of the shipping economy that had taken route there. The few houses that were there were simple in style and reminiscent of styles that had been popular over twenty years ago. Near the water was a series of buildings, half of which was allocated for use as warehouses. The other half seemed to be a series of boat houses all except for one which housed a branch of the Oceanic Authority, an organization put together and agreed to by the world's governments. The Oceanic Authority was tasked with assisting in keeping peace, safety, and security in and around the world's oceans. It was the OA that the coordinates were leading them to, which didn't surprise Gordon – for someone to have inside information on the multiple ships sinking it seemed like the only place that made sense for a contact to come from.

Virgil and Gordon found a wooded area just outside of town to land in and after slipping into street clothes in order to better blend in, took their hover bikes into town.

The Oceanic Authority building was luckily one of the first few they encountered as they entered town. Made of a mix of dark red brick and new age plastic, the small one story building didn't by initial appearances look anything official. It was only the OA logo on top of the building that made them sure.

They parked their hover bikes outside the building and entered in through a set of glass doors on the front of the building. The area that they ended up in seemed to be a small lobby area. Various green plants were situated in the corners, and a large video screen on one wall seemed to be showing some sort of public service announcements related to the docks.

There was a small doorway in the opposite wall. A small desk was situated in front of it, and a man dressed in uniform sat behind it, checking through some readouts on a tablet computer.

Virgil stepped forward and cleared his throat. "We were wondering if we could talk to the person in charge?"

The man at the desk looked up from his efforts. "That would be Captain Amick, sir. I-"

Suddenly a blaring alarm sounded throughout the room and what seemed to be the whole building. The man behind the desk put his tablet down and looked around wildly before glaring at them. "We have an emergency – it would be better if you came back later."

And with that he got to his feet and rushed through the doorway.

Virgil and Gordon exchanged silent glances before deciding to follow him. They got to the doorway and paused only a moment before Gordon muttered. "Let's see what's going on here."

When they looked through the doorway, they noticed that the man that they were talking to earlier took a seat at what looked like a large communication panel. He was checking settings and trying to send a transmission when a woman that looked to be in uniform as well stepped into the room from a doorway that was near the back of the room. Virgil noticed a look of tension on the woman's face.

She stepped forward until she was behind the man in question. "What do we have, Ensign?"

He looked up at her. "Captain Amick, a SOS transmission was received from the container ship Argus. We tried responding to it but their signal has since gone dead."

"Were you able to get the coordinates for the Argus before the signal was lost?"

"Aye, sir," the young ensign replied before rattling off a series of numbers. "They are more than an hour out in the open ocean. It's like the last one sir."

She rubbed a weary hand over her face before giving another order. "Call out the rescue boats – double the normal amount, that boat has a crew of a hundred."

"Aye sir."

Virgil muttered as he turned to Gordon, who looked ready to walk out. "I've heard enough. Sounds like what we've been encountering for the past two months –wait Gordon, where are you going?"

Gordon had stopped in his tracks and looked around carefully before he replied in a low voice, "Back to Thunderbird Two – if it's like what we've encountered for the past two months, then their crew doesn't have much time. They'll need our help."

And with that, Gordon took off towards the main exit.

Virgil nodded in agreement as he took off after his brother. "I'll contact John on my tele-com. We'll need reinforcements."

* * *

_You may have noticed that the TV elements mention comes into play here mostly, so far. I did keep in here FAB-1's ability to fly – it was the only thing I liked about FAB-1 from the movie. It was personal preference in this case. _

_So another ship is under attack and we still don't know where Lady Penelope is for sure. I'll have to do something about that now, won't I? ;)_

_Till Next Time,_

_TimeGuardian_


	4. Chapter 4

_The Dead Zone  
A Thunderbirds Movieverse fanfic  
by TimeGuardian_

Chapter Four

When Lady Penelope awoke this time, she found that her settings had drastically changed. For one thing, she was seated in what seemed to be a cushioned seat that seemed to be bolted to the floor. It reminded her of the type of seats that were in Thunderbird Two, only this was nothing like she had ever seen before. She also found that she was bound to the chair by rope with her hands situated behind her.

Looking around, she noticed the various computer panels around and behind her, each of them manned by men dressed in black. The space seemed narrow and confined and when Lady Penelope leaned forward and chanced a look further down the room, she saw a larger computer panel with a video screen and radar with two men stationed there. She had only been in one once before, but she recognized the setup immediately. _I'm in a submarine._

"Awake, are we?"

Lady Penelope recognized Cassandra's voice as she walked up from the other end of the room. With the exception of changing her shoes out for boots and a curious looking belt with a holster, Cassandra was still wearing the same outfit as when they first met.

Penelope shook her head as Cassandra stopped in front of her. "Yes. You must have some interesting new toys – you took me down without a fight."

She kept a touch of curiosity in her tone – any information she could get from Cassandra could be beneficial.

For her efforts, Cassandra reached down at her hip and removed what looked like a small metallic gun from her holster. "Like it? My scientists call it a neural scrambler. One shot from this and you'll be out for hours. Quite a handy little gadget, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh indeed," Penelope replied lightly, "so, care to tell me why you have brought me on a submarine ride?"

Cassandra replaced the weapon back into her holster before replying. "We're going hunting – there is a container ship by the name of the Argus out there. The cargo is fifty million dollars in precious metals. Imagine that – a bank that was afraid of a skyjacking so they decide to ship their precious cargo by sea. They will soon regret that."

"So you loot these ships as well – keeps you afloat I suppose."

Cassandra chuckled. "How utterly droll of you – well you did ask why you were here. I figured you would make a good bargaining tool in case your rescuers showed up too early. I mean, who would attack their own people, really?"

Revulsion filled Lady Penelope. "You would. When I closed in on your operation in Switzerland, you had your lab blown up, with your scientists still inside."

"Ah yes," Lady Cassandra replied with a smile as if she relished the memory.

"You however," Penelope continued, feeling the odd rush of anger, "are sorely underestimating International Rescue. They will find a way to get you."

"As you did me?" Lady Cassandra scoffed. "We shall soon see. Don't go anywhere dear."

And with that, the rouge agent turned and walked towards the men manning the main computer area and radar panel. Lady Penelope could hear her barking out orders to move to a set of coordinates. Now was the time to check out more things before she came back.

Lady Penelope made sure to keep her movements small, but no matter how hard she tried, her bonds wouldn't budge. _It figures_.

With no chance of immediate escape, she chose to look around. When she had her chance, she wanted to be sure that International Rescue was informed about what they were up against. The neural scrambler was bad enough, but what little she saw of the submarine was unsettling. It was bigger than Thunderbird Four and considering what she knew of Lady Cassandra's means that meant the craft could be armed with anything from lasers on up to nuclear warheads – or worse.

Penelope kicked herself mentally. The last time she encountered Cassandra, the plans were not on this scale. In the end, she managed to defeat Cassandra after running a carefully crafted bluff pitting her against one of the scientists she hired. The matter was supposed to be finished with Lady Cassandra heading to prison.

_If – no when I get out of this alive, I'm going to keep a better eye on Cassandra._

She soon felt the deck below her feet vibrate. That meant that they were on the move, but she had no way of knowing how far they were from their target.

That was also when she realized that neither her feet nor legs were bound. _Maybe I can do something with this._

Lady Penelope set to work, bending and flexing her body until she felt the ropes around her upper body begin to inch upward. As she worked, Penelope kept an eye on Cassandra, who still was focused on the controls at the front.

She had lost track of the time, but soon the vibrations under her feet went away. Lady Penelope's heart sunk – she was nearly free, but time was running out for the ship that Cassandra was targeting.

The next words Cassandra uttered seemed to confirm that. "Transmit the pulse – the Argus must not be allowed to call out."

Lady Penelope thought quickly. _Time to switch tactics_.

She managed to twist her body around until her feet touched the computer panel nearest her. Lady Penelope reared back as best as she could and then kicked out as hard as she could. Sparks greeted her efforts and she readied herself to give another kick until Penelope felt herself being grabbed firmly by the arms and forced back into the chair.

With a start, she realized that Lady Cassandra had come back and had been the one to force her back down into the chair.

"Very good Penelope," Lady Cassandra snarled as she caught her breath, "thanks to you, they've had enough time to send an SOS. You know – the superstitious sailors call each scene I create a 'dead zone'. Maybe I should add one more body to this one."

* * *

In his study, Jeff studied the computer in front of him intently in the activated command and control center.

Thanks to Brains and John's efforts to organize their computer systems on Thunderbird Five and Tracy Island, he managed to pull up the news footage and the information on the previous ships that they helped to rescue the crews on.

On the surface, there seemed to be no rhyme or reason - one ship sank off the coast of New York while another sank not far from England. One ship was hauling cars while another was hauling building supplies. There was even an oil tanker that sank near the coast of Africa.

What did seem to link all of the incidents together was the condition of the hulls of each of the ships along with the eyewitness accounts from the crew, saying that they slipped into a 'dead zone'. In each case, the crews heard noises against their hull but were unable to spot anything in the water or on their radar. Their instruments then quickly registered a hull breach. When the crews tried to radio for help, they found that their communications equipment was non-functional. When the ships were later recovered, four large perfectly round holes were found in each of the hulls.

It smacked of sabotage but no evidence was found when the authorities did their follow-up investigations. That was why Jeff hoped that Lady Penelope's investigation would bear fruit, but with her disappearance they were now back at square one.

A harsh beeping broke into his thoughts. When Jeff turned to address the alarm, he saw that John was trying to get in touch with him.

He typed in a command, bringing up his son's feed onto one of the video screens on the far wall.

Jeff spoke quickly. "What's the situation, John?"

On the screen, Jeff noticed the tension on John's face. "Dad, we've got another one. Virgil and Gordon were at the docks near where Lady Penelope disappeared when they overheard the authorities receiving the report. A container ship by the name of Argus – they managed to transmit a quick SOS message before their radio went dead. It's just like the others, dad – given their position in the sea, it'll take an hour at least before the authorities can get to them. I was able to scan and confirm the data. Virgil and Gordon are back in the air and on route to the scene now."

"And if it's anything like the previous incidents, those sailors don't have an hour. Understood, John – I'll have Scott and Alan take Thunderbird One and rendezvous with Virgil and Gordon. Transmit the coordinates to them as soon as they are airborne."

John nodded. "FAB"

Once John's image disappeared, Jeff turned and pressed another button on his console, sounding another alarm through the house. Seconds later, both Scott and Alan ran into the room and came to a stop in front of him.

Alan was catching his breath as Scott asked. "We're here, dad, what's happened?"

"Another ship is sinking – The Argus. Thunderbird Two is already on route but I want you to take Alan and join them. John will get you your coordinates once you are in the air."

Scott nodded knowingly. "On our way. Come on Alan, let's get down to the hangar."

* * *

_We're on the scene with the Argus – next time. I'm still here , just slowed down a little – too long and too frustrating to explain - just trust me, this story is still on._

_Till next time,_

_TimeGuardian _


	5. Chapter 5

_The Dead Zone  
A Thunderbirds Movieverse fanfic  
by TimeGuardian_

Chapter Five

Alan and Scott quickly boarded Thunderbird One and launched as soon as they received word of the attack, and John soon contacted them with coordinates to the danger zone.

Alan fidgeted in his seat as they sped on to their destination. "How many does this make, Scott?"

"Too many," Scott declared as he adjusted their course. "Each of these ships has been deliberately targeted too. We can only hope that we get to the crew in time."

They continued on in silence until they reached open water.

"Keep an eye out," Scott advised him. "We should be reaching them in the next twenty minutes."

Soon Alan spotted shapes off in the distance. He could just barely make out the form of Thunderbird Two hovering above what looked like a ship but the ship was sitting in the water at an unnatural angle.

"I see them Scott – straight ahead."

"Got it," Scott acknowledged as he made a transmission. "Thunderbird Two from Thunderbird One, Virgil, what's your status?"

Virgil's strained voice came through. "The Argus has a crew of one hundred but only have ten lifeboats, each only able to hold about six people safely. All of the lifeboats were deployed by the time we got here but were having trouble escaping the undertow the sinking is generating. Gordon launched in Thunderbird Four and trying to tow them to a safe distance. I've got the cargo bay open and hovering low with the platform to bring people in, but it's slow – there's still at least thirty people on ship according to the captain. We need someone down there to coordinate the rest of them to one side of the ship."

"FAB, Virgil," Scott acknowledged before turning to Alan, "When we get in range, I'm going to come in close and drop you off on the front deck of the Argus. Guide the rest of the crew to Thunderbird Two."

"FAB, Scott."

Scott soon had Thunderbird One positioned over the front of the Argus as low as he dared. "Okay, little brother, this is your stop. Be careful."

The wind whipped around Alan as the cockpit canopy opened and he managed the short leap from Thunderbird One to the deck of the Argus. When he managed to find his footing, Alan waved up at Scott.

Thunderbird One's canopy closed and the craft gained in altitude, leaving him on deck. Alan turned to look around.

The deck shifted and he struggled to keep his footing. Luckily, the flight suit Alan wore protected him from the elements, but he still had a job to do.

He set forth walking along the deck and shouting out. "Everybody to the front of the ship! We have a way for you to get off this ship, but you need to hurry!"

* * *

Time seemed to be in a vacuum but Alan knew he was making progress as the number of crew dwindled on deck from thirty down to twenty and then finally ten crew members were left waiting to board Thunderbird Two.

Alan could barely hear the transmission that came through his tele-com. "Alan? What's your status down there?"

Shaking his head, Alan quickly accessed his tele-com. "I'm a little busy down here, Scott. I'm getting the last ten members of the crew off now."

"Watch it down there," Scott warned him, "it looks like the ship is ready to go any minute now."

Alan looked around quickly. "Sure, the deck has been tilted for a while now but it seems-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the ship lurched violently to one side, throwing Alan and the last of the crew members overboard and hurtling towards the water below.

* * *

Gordon had surfaced Thunderbird Four after towing the lifeboats to a safe distance away from the sinking ship.

He had just disengaged his tow rope and was following the rescue efforts through his communicator when he heard Alan's interrupted transmission. From his vantage point, he couldn't see what was happening at the ship.

Gordon quickly made a transmission of his own. "Thunderbird One from Thunderbird Four, what's happening?"

Scott's reply was quick and grim. "Alan and the rest of the crew are overboard and that ship doesn't have much longer before it goes to the bottom of the ocean. If they are in range when it goes down-"

There was no need to finish the sentence - Gordon knew that the resulting undertow could possibly pull strongly enough to drown even the most experienced of swimmers.

He quickly brought the engines of Thunderbird Four to life and sped back towards the sinking ship.

* * *

_Tis a short update - more next time, I promise._

_Till next time,_

_TimeGuardian _


	6. Chapter 6

_The Dead Zone  
A Thunderbirds Movieverse fanfic  
by TimeGuardian_

Chapter Six

One moment Alan was talking with Scott over his tele-com.

In the next moment his world upended and he found his view tilting crazily as he hit the deck and slid towards the railing. Around him, Alan heard the surprised shouts of the sailors as they too slid in the same direction.

Seconds later, Alan felt the bruising impact of the railing as he tumbled into it and then slipped around in until all he could feel was the open air. There was barely time to register the fact that he was overboard until he hit the water at an odd angle.

Despite the warm air, the water was shockingly cold and that made Alan's efforts all the harder. His breath left him with a woosh. He could feel a rush of adrenaline as he quickly made an effort to right himself in the water and head back towards the surface.

It only seemed like moments as Alan broke the surface of the water, taking in a huge lungful of air. A quick test of his limbs told him that he survived the plunge, though he was sure that he would feel the impact tomorrow. Suddenly all of those ocean swimming jaunts with Gordon around their island over the years didn't seem so silly after all.

Wearily Alan looked around quickly and made a headcount – yes, he saw ten heads pop out of the water. They were still close to the ship though. He did his best to call out. "We need to get away from the ship! Swim for it!"

He turned and quickly began swimming as quickly as he could. Muscles in his arms screamed in protest, but all Alan knew was that he did not want to risk being near the ship when it finished its final plunge.

A new noise interrupted his efforts, and he looked up to find that Thunderbird Four was approaching them. _Go Gordon_.

Moments later, he heard Gordon's voice emanate from an external speaker on Four. "If you can hear me, I'm shooting out a rope to you guys. Grab it and hold on."

Alan heard a puff of escaping air before he spotted the rope arcing in the air from Four before landing the water not far from his location. He noticed that some of the sailors had already taken Gordon's advice and were swimming towards the cable. With an effort, he started out for the few stragglers that seemed to be dazed.

* * *

Gordon watched out the view window of Thunderbird Four as he watched Alan and the rest of the sailors swim forward and grab onto the tow rope he had released.

"Come on," he muttered to himself. "The ship is going down fast – none of us need to be around here when it does."

He finally let out a breath of relief when he saw Alan give a signal that they were good to go.

Gordon made another transmission through the external speaker. "I'm going to make this as smooth as I can guys - hold on."

He quickly reversed his engines and slowly began a backward journey towards the awaiting life rafts. They were at capacity, but should have enough buoyancy for the ten sailors to hang onto until more help could arrive.

Gordon watched carefully as he proceeded, making sure that everyone was still holding on.

Minutes later, Gordon slowed the engines down to a halt as he reached the area where the life rafts were.

Alan finally took an easier breath once they were out of range of the ship. When they finally slowed down, he took a look back over his shoulder to find that the Argus was ninety percent submerged – only a small section of the bow was still visible. _That was too close._

Alan turned back to the scene at hand and helped the sailors to the life rafts. Once each of the sailors rendezvoused with a raft, he turned and swam for Thunderbird Four.

* * *

After hearing noises at the area of the rear hatch, Gordon released the breath he was holding when Alan finally made his way into the cabin area of Thunderbird Four. "Am I ever glad to see you - that high dive you took off the deck didn't do us any favors."

Alan reached up and brushed a few wet strands of hair away from his face before he grinned tiredly. "It wasn't like I had a choice in the matter. You make that stuff look way too easy by the way."

Gordon nodded with a smirk. "It's the years of practice, trust me. Now let's back to business, shall we?"

"Yeah," Alan replied with determination as he situated himself beside Gordon. "I'd like to see what's sinking this ship."

"You and me both," Gordon agreed.

As Gordon made the descent and the water swirled around Thunderbird Four, an unknown older female voice rang out over their communication channel. "Hello out there. Do I have the pleasure of talking to someone in charge of International Rescue?"

* * *

_Brr – Cassandra now wants to try and mess with the Tracy family. We shall see how this will play out soon – apologies all around on the delay. Treatment is not going so smoothly, and it's testing the pain and the patience. Rest assured though – this story will be finished._

_Till next time,_

_Timeguardian_


	7. Chapter 7

_The Dead Zone  
A Thunderbirds Movieverse fanfic  
by TimeGuardian_

Chapter Seven

In Thunderbird One, Scott breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Gordon's efforts play out below him. All of the sailors were safe and Alan was safe on Thunderbird Four. No loss of life - that was the type of rescue mission he liked the best.

It was then that he heard the distinctly female voice come through their communication channel.

"Hello out there. Do I have the pleasure of talking to someone in charge of International Rescue?"

Scott froze. The voice coming through was arrogant and matter of fact in tone. For the person to be on their communication channel was no small feat – he knew that Brains and John worked long hours to come up with variable frequencies so that they wouldn't be easily spied upon. This person was openly challenging them.

He took a breath to steady himself before he moved to reply to the transmission. "I am the field commander of International Rescue. Who am I speaking to?"

A torrent of laughter greeted his question. "Such arrogance – you are definitely the leader of this operation. No matter, I frankly don't care if you know my name or not – I am Lady Cassandra Worthington. Your London agent, Lady Penelope, knows me quite well, in fact."

Scott knew about Lady Penelope disappearing from John and their father. Lady Cassandra had to be involved in that considering the circumstances, but he knew he had to keep calm. He chose to keep his tone light. "So we know your name – are we supposed to be impressed or something?"

"Maybe not," came the reply, "but know one thing – I have quite an impressive record of sinking ships. I've watched your team's efforts to save lives on my previous scenes – quite impressive really."

* * *

In Thunderbird Four, Gordon and Alan listened in shocked silence to Lady Cassandra's conversation with Scott.

Gordon took a look at the enhanced sonar on his instrument panel and pointed to the extra reading that was showing beside the Argus. "For her to be able to keep an eye on us, she either has to be above the water or below it. Scott would have clued us in if she was in the air, so-"

"She's down here, with us," Alan finished. "Not that makes me feel any better. She said she caused the ships to sink - that requires quite a bit of power. Do we really want to go after her?"

"Considering that she has more than likely kidnapped Lady Penelope, then yes," Gordon replied as he studied the sonar. "For her to have a sub means she has a base that we can track her to. As long as we keep our distance-"

A new transmission broke into their planning.

"Now I tire of this conversation," Lady Cassandra stated with a yawn. "You've ruined this dead zone, so I might as well be off. I'm sure you and your team are planning to stick around until you can deliver the crew into safe hands. No matter, I can regroup but I would advise your sub to surface, because for one thing, your Lady Penelope is on board with us, and for another I'm not alone down here. Your sensors might not show it, but I have two robotic subs accompanying me and they are fully armed. Get my drift, Mister Field Commander?"

Gordon seethed as he listened to Lady Cassandra taunting them - he was sure they could sneak around this sub and follow it or board it somehow. Now that they had been called out like this though – he decided to venture the question over a transmission. "Commander?"

His brother's words came across the communication link low and even. "Stand down."

Gordon was seeing red - they were so close! "With all due respect-"

Scott's voice came through the transmission like a whip crack, cutting him off. "Stand down! That's an order!"

Gordon looked down at the sonar again. With the exception of the sunken Argus, he was still only getting readings from one other source. It had to be Lady Cassandra's submarine.

He felt a hand on his arm and turned to find Alan giving him a hard look. "Gordon, don't push it. We don't know what we are up against yet and this Lady Cassandra sounds even crazier than the Hood, if that's even possible. Let's regroup and fight this thing together."

Gordon took a breath before looking back at the sonar again and then through the view window.

With a muttered curse, he moved the controls to guide Thunderbird Four to the surface.

* * *

Scott grabbed his controls in a death grip as he questioned his order to have Gordon to surface. Every instinct told him that Lady Cassandra was not someone to be trusted, but something about her tone and the fact that she readily admitted to causing the ships to sink meant that she was a dangerous foe indeed. He couldn't risk those sailors or the lives of his brothers with the current odds – they needed to regroup.

He wasn't about to leave a situation like this without a parting shot.

Scott got back on the communication link and made one more transmission. "Lady Cassandra, we will stand down for now – we have innocent civilians to see to that you tried to destroy. Know one thing though - if you try to sink another ship or if you harm Lady Penelope in any way, there will be no hiding from us."

A short laugh greeted his declaration. "Challenge accepted, International Rescue. Goodbye for now."

* * *

_Would you believe I found the perfect inspiration for Lady Cassandra? Not willing to give details, but being around the lady in question made the room feel ten degrees colder. Brr._

_Till next time,_

_Timeguardian_


	8. Chapter 8

_The Dead Zone  
A Thunderbirds Movieverse fanfic  
by TimeGuardian_

Chapter Eight

_One Hour Later-_

Scott still felt wired as he flew Thunderbird One home at top speed. Being Field Commander for International Rescue up until that point meant coordinating rescues and minimizing their exposure to the media. There was nothing in any book on how to deal with the likes of the Hood or Lady Cassandra.

After the oceanic authorities made it to the site, they agreed to guard the Argus and get the crew to land and medical attention. As soon as the last of the crew was off of Thunderbird Two, Scott ordered them to return to base at top speed.

They needed help and time to regroup. Scott debated calling ahead – he feared that Lady Cassandra could be listening in on their transmissions.

That was when he heard the transmission from the tele-com strapped to his wrist. "Thunderbird One from Thunderbird Five."

Startled, he brought up his wrist to find John staring back at him. Scott spoke quickly. "Thunderbird One receiving you. Are you sure the tele-coms are secure?"

"As secure as Brains and I can make them. He brought another randomizer program online and has it scanning the tele-com frequency. I received an all clear from him a moment ago for the tele-coms and he's still working with me on the rest of our frequencies now."

Scott sighed. "In that case then, there are a few scans that I want you to make…"

* * *

Later after Scott landed and secured Thunderbird One in its hangar, he walked out and towards the lift to take him back to the study.

He saw Alan and Virgil walking in the same direction. "Hey guys, wait up."

Once he joined them, Alan gave him a sympathetic look. "Fair warning – Gordon's fit to be tied. He wanted to go after Lady Cassandra."

"Thanks, Alan. Where is he, anyway?"

Virgil answered him. "After we landed, he stalked off the ship and went on ahead upstairs."

_He could be anywhere in the house. Just great_. "Do me a favor – leave him alone for a while. I need to find Gordon and explain a few things to him."

By the time Scott got to the study, he could see no sign of Gordon. On a hunch, he headed out towards the pool area and found Gordon slowly stalking around the perimeter of the pool.

Slowly walking outside, he took an opposite path around the pool until he stopped face to face with his brother. He tried to start the conversation. "Gordon-"

Scott could feel the anger rolling off of Gordon as he interrupted. "What? Are you going to tell me that we'll still save Lady Penelope somehow? I have a hard time buying that."

He knew that no simple explanation could placate his brother. Scott motioned to him. "Come with me back to the study."

This time Gordon eyed him suspiciously. "Why?"

This was worse than when they were kids. Scott threw up his hands in frustration. "You want an explanation, don't you? Follow me or not, but I can answer your questions better in the study."

He turned and walked back into the house. It took all he had not to turn around but moments later as he reached the study, Scott realized that Gordon was right behind him.

"Take a seat, Gordon," Scott muttered as he walked over to his father's desk and pressed a button on it before speaking. "Tracy Island to Thunderbird Five, come in please."

Gordon sat down on one end of the sofa as John's image flared to life on one of the video screens on the far wall. "I'm here."

Scott took a seat on the other end of the sofa. "Do you have anything to report on the scans I asked you to make, John?"

"Yes – using a blanket scan of the surrounding waters I managed to make out three submarines fleeing the scene around the sinking of the Argus."

Gordon flinched. _Three_? "We only saw one sub!"

John smiled grimly. "Had a quick conversation with Brains about that - Lady Cassandra must be bankrolling some high level scientists. It took his help on the scans to punch through the cloaking technology that they used on the robotic subs, but I was able to get a read on them for close to an hour after the Argus went down before they disappeared off of our scans."

Scott noticed the shocked look on Gordon's face, so he decided to drive the point home. "In other words, not only would you have been putting yourself and Alan in direct jeopardy, you also were gambling with Lady Penelope's safety as well. Those were odds I couldn't agree with."

He watched as Gordon cast a glance to the ground. "I'm sorry, Scott. It's just that we were so close to her and Lady Penelope – it was hard to give that up. I'm going to go for a swim and clear my head."

Scott watched him get up and leave the study quickly. Once he was alone in the room, he shook his head and groaned. "There are some days where this job sucks."

"I hear you," John replied in sympathy from the screen. "Don't second guess yourself. Your priority is to the safety of the people we rescue along with keeping us in line and safe. Don't ever forget that. Thunderbird Five out."

Once John's image disappeared, Scott moved to stand up when he heard someone call out his name.

He stopped reluctantly when he saw that his father was standing in the doorway of the study. "You heard that whole conversation didn't you?"

"I did," Jeff replied as he stepped into the study and stopped in front of Scott. "It reminded me that I made the best decision when I made you my Field Commander. However, I do not approve of that veiled threat you made to Lady Cassandra."

Scott inwardly cringed. Ever since his father decided to stay on the island during rescues, he still kept an ear out for them by listening to their communications. "Dad, she's holding all the cards here, including Lady Penelope. She can't be allowed to get away with this."

Jeff nodded in agreement. "This Lady Cassandra may think she is holding all the cards, but I've been consulting with Brains since you've come back. We have a plan – it's a risky one, but I think we can get an upper hand here."

"Dad, what about Lady Penelope?"

"She's more resilient than you would think, Scott. She also knew the risk in joining up with us."

Frowning, Scott declared. "You just sidestepped the question."

* * *

Truth be told, Jeff didn't know how safe Lady Penelope would be during this plan of his but he looked at the alternatives, which meant more ships would sink and more people in danger, including Lady Penelope. Jeff had faith in Lady Penelope's abilities and she knew and agreed to the code of International Rescue when she agreed to become their London agent.

Time was running out and they needed to take action.

"Have faith, Scott. We will get her back alive."

* * *

_More soon. _

_Till Later,  
TimeGuardian_


	9. Chapter 9

_The Dead Zone  
A Thunderbirds Movieverse fanfic  
by TimeGuardian_

Chapter Nine

In the hours following the operation that Lady Cassandra dragged Lady Penelope out on, they quickly retreated from the scene of the destruction. Penelope did her best to pay attention to see if she could gain any coordinates or indicators about where they were going, but it was to no avail.

She wasn't sure of how much time had passed but soon Lady Cassandra had two of her men untie her from the chair and escort her to the hatch of the submarine.

Penelope's mind ran a mile a minute as she was forced out of the upper hatch to the control of two more of Cassandra's men.

The first thing she noticed was the bright sunlight. Squinting against the harsh glare, Penelope was prodded up and forward until she could feel a wooden dock beneath her feet. As she got accustomed to the light, Penelope looked around more.

In her travels, she visited lands and islands galore, from as close as Scotland and Ireland to as exotic as the Cayman Islands. This area seemed to be an island, but nothing like she ever recognized before.

"What's the matter, dear? Never seen a man-made island before?"

Cassandra's voice jarred her, to which Penelope merely nodded. "It makes sense – when nothing satisfied you, you either had someone steal or make something for you. It's good to see that some things do not change."

Lady Penelope stumbled as she felt a hand push at her back. When she righted herself, she found herself looking at the only habitable structure on the island.

On first glance, it looked like an old style castle. When she looked again, Penelope noticed that there was indeed a castle-like structure, but in front of it sat a large modern structure. It almost looked like a modern military bunker with its gray mix of concrete and metal.

"I normally like for everything to match, dear, but you know how it goes when you need form and function," Cassandra commented idly, "so while you are alive, that is where you will be staying. Now move."

Cassandra's guards ended up escorting her to a far corner inside the bunker where there were two cells, constructed with heavy iron bars. One of the guards opened the first cell door they came to, and then ordered. "Get in."

Lady Penelope looked around and gauged her chances, which amounted to no better than when she was on the dock with Cassandra. She would simply have to choose her moment.

Once the guards closed the door and walked off, she sighed and leaned back heavily against the wall of her cell. "And now, I wait."

* * *

Jeff Tracy sat at his desk in his study and glanced over the papers in front of him.

For countless hours he sat there, making video call after video call. The plan he had in mind meant that he had to call in quite a few favors, including calling in a few engineers that helped him obtain supplies and parts for the Thunderbird craft.

Soon, everything he needed was together. _Now to get the trap in place._

Jeff pressed a button on his desk. Since Brains and John had seen to securing their communications, now was the time to contact them all. A red light flashed on his desk, indicating that his signal went out.

Moments later on the far wall, five video screens flared to life with a video feed from each of his sons.

"Scott reporting in."

"John reporting in."

"Virgil reporting in."

"Gordon reporting in."

"Alan reporting in."

Jeff got to his feet and walked closer to the screens. "Boys, everything is set. I'm spreading the word throughout the shipping community that in three days, the cargo ship Lucinda will set forth from London en route to the United States with a cargo of electronics and precious metals. Consult with Brains, he has the specs on what we've put together. We need to place ourselves strategically to take Lady Cassandra, so let's get planning."

"If this doesn't lure Lady Cassandra out, nothing will," Gordon muttered.

"Dad, what about Lady Penelope?" Scott asked.

Casting a look to the ground, Jeff carefully chose his words. "We need to be ready for two contingencies. Either Cassandra's ego will get the best of her and she will have Lady Penelope with her, or she will have Lady Penelope locked up somewhere."

"Let's do this then," John declared.

* * *

Time seemed to pass but for Penelope, she didn't even know what time it was.

She carefully watched around the area of her cell. On occasion, Penelope would see guards milling about moving weapons and other things. They would bring her meals as well as they would talk quietly amongst themselves, to which she was able to pick up bits and pieces of their conversation.

Soon, the conversations that Lady Penelope heard were growing tense and excited. The guards mentioned phrases like "big score" and "cargo ship Lucinda."

Penelope sat back on the cot in the room when she heard and recognized the name of Lady Cassandra's next target in the ocean. A small smile crossed her lips as she realized that events were going to come together hard and fast. _This is what I was waiting for. Jeff, I hope you know what you are up against._

Sitting upright on the cot, Penelope slowed her breathing, closed her eyes and began formulating plans of her own.

* * *

_Apologies - am feeling better, but am a bit slower. This story will be completed. More soon. _

_Till Later,  
TimeGuardian_


	10. Chapter 10

_The Dead Zone  
A Thunderbirds Movieverse fanfic  
by TimeGuardian_

Chapter Ten

Soon Lady Penelope stirred at the sound of voices.

Opening her eyes, she found sunlight streaming into her cell. Penelope found that the voices that roused her belonged to Cassandra and two of her guards, who were standing outside of her cell.

Cassandra's tone was strangely congenial as she unlocked the door. "Good Morning, Penelope. Ready to go on a hunt with us?"

_As if I had a choice. _Lady Penelope mustered up a smile as she mentally counted the numerous weapons that were being carried by Cassandra and her guards. She edged herself off of the cot and got to her feet. "Oh, so you are ready for another try, to show me how big and bad your submarine can be?"

Cassandra's demeanor didn't slip at all. "On the contrary, I like to abide by that old saying 'Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.' Now are you coming, or do my men drag you out of here feet first?"

Penelope glared at her and motioned towards the door. "By all means, lead the way."

In the end, Cassandra led the way while the guards kept Penelope sandwiched in-between. They led her out of the building and back to the dock they had arrived on. The submarine was still docked there.

The main hatch was open and Penelope could hear signs of activity inside. She watched as Cassandra easily maneuvered herself down and inside the submarine. Penelope nearly stumbled to the ground as the guards prodded her forward.

"Easy, boys," Penelope stated, forcing herself to remain calm. "I'm moving."

She carefully followed Cassandra's route, and moments later she stepped back on the main area of the submarine.

As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, Penelope heard the guards coming down behind her. As before, they soon prodded her along behind Cassandra until their group bypassed where Penelope had been tied up last time, instead going for the main bridge and control area.

"So you really do want me to see everything?" Penelope asked.

Cassandra motioned to her guards, and they soon had Penelope sitting down in a side chair just out of the range of any panels. Using plastic ties, the guards secured her to the chair by the armrests. Once they were satisfied with their work, they moved out of the way and out of her sight.

Cassandra sat down in an adjacent chair and glanced at her before turning her attention to the men she had manning the navigation controls. "Now that you are ready for departure, dear Penelope, let's get this show rolling shall we? Crew, prepare for departure."

* * *

As the morning sunlight gave way to the blazing strength of an afternoon sun, a ship made its way through the open ocean. The cargo ship Lucinda glided through the ocean waters smoothly and cleanly thanks to her state of the art engines and propeller. The Lucinda was also the only ship in the immediate area thanks to so some careful planning and timing.

The crew of the Lucinda was told to prepare for anything, that they were assisting the Thunderbirds to trap a dangerous criminal. Luckily, the ship itself was one of few that had so many automated advances to it that it could be driven with as few as a crew of five people, if it was necessary.

In the end, the captain chose the best five people out of his crew and gave the rest of them the day off with pay. There were fewer questions that way. Still, everything had to look as normal as possible, so the captain made sure that normal procedures were followed as their cargo was loaded and they quickly left their dock at the harbor.

Now two hours into their voyage, the captain stood in the main control room of the ship and looked out at the surrounding ocean. Normally on days like this, he would appreciate the serenity of a clear day and an open ocean, but not today.

He turned to face the only other person that he allowed in the control room. "Are all the preparations in place for our 'visitors'?"

The captain received a definite nod in response.

He sighed and stepped closer. "Make the transmission and then I will trust you with my ship as agreed to, Mister Hackenbacker. I know it is for the cause of justice and all, but please take good care of her."

From where he was sitting, Brains smiled and adjusted his glasses before answering. "Y-y-yes, sir."

* * *

John paced the deck of Thunderbird Five, keeping one eye on the communication panel and the other at the sensor panel. He had specific sensors targeted towards the area of ocean that the ship would be in. Since he knew what he was looking for, John knew that he would be able to pick up on Lady Cassandra quickly.

A beeping issued from the communication panel, a special signal that meant Brains and the crew was ready for the plan. John turned his full focus to the sensors - the key was picking up the sub and its robotic counterparts early enough.

Minutes later, he had his confirmation when the reading he was waiting for flashed over his sensor panel.

_Gotcha_.

John quickly made a transmission. "Thunderbird Five to cargo ship Lucinda – targets spotted in the water one hundred kilometers off of your stern."

He heard Brains reply. "FAB. E-e-electromagnetic p-p-pulse sent."

* * *

Penelope watched in interest as Cassandra ordered her men around, first to set the course and soon use their sensor readings to find the ship.

It wasn't long before the one of the men at the navigation controls reported that they were within a hundred kilometers of their target.

"Excellent," Cassandra declared, "close in and prepare to disable the ship."

No sooner than she issued the command, the deck shuddered. Lights from the various panels flashed erratically until they went out altogether. Emergency lighting flared on, casting everything in a bright red haze.

The shuddering of the deck gave way to an eerie calm as Lady Penelope watched Cassandra begin to panic.

The woman got to her feet quickly and began to pace wildly, running her hands through her red hair. "What happened? Swing us about."

One of the men at the navigation controls swung around to face her. "They've sent out some sort of electrical pulse, Lady Cassandra. We are unable to move."

"Damn it!"

Penelope fought the urge to cheer as she watched Cassandra stalk forward to scream at her crew. Now that things were going so wrong, she now had time to escape.

When she noticed that they were going to simply secure her to the arms of the chair earlier, Penelope made sure to stretch her arms out as far as she could without them noticing. Now that she focused on relaxing her arms and pulling, she was able to slip her bonds easily.

No one was currently facing her way; they were focused on the non responsive controls. Maybe if she could find an airlock that she could swim out of –

Decision made, Lady Penelope eased herself slowly out of the chair that had been her temporary prison and carefully headed towards the back of the submarine.

* * *

Gordon and Alan watched out from Thunderbird Four from their vantage point near the front of the ship. They had spotted Lady Cassandra by mere moments after John had.

Once Brains came across with the transmission that the EMP was transmitted, Gordon sat up and eased the controls forward. "That means we're up."

As they closed in on Lady Cassandra's position, Alan looked around the view windows nervously. "There's no sign of the robotic subs."

"Relax, Alan, will you? Lady Cassandra would have to control them from her sub, and with that electromagnetic pulse that Brains sent out from the Lucinda, they wouldn't be able to receive or act upon any instructions anyway."

As if to prove his brother's point Alan spotted two distinct submarine shapes sinking quickly in the water. They were slightly smaller than the final sub that they approached but even this sub was starting to sink.

Alan looked over at Gordon. "Any signs of power from the submarine?"

It took a few moments while Gordon checked the sensors, but finally he grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "Brains did it. Submarine shows no signs of power."

Alan breathed a sigh of relief and made the transmission his brothers were waiting on. "Thunderbird Four to Thunderbird One – we've been able to confirm it. Cassandra's sub has been immobilized."

Scott's voice came through loud and clear. "FAB, Thunderbird Four, you two know what to do now."

"FAB," Alan replied before turning to Gordon, "All right, I've got the controls - time for you to take a swim."

Gordon smirked as he grabbed for his scuba equipment. "Don't let it go to your head. One scratch on her, and I'll make sure you never forget it."

Alan gave him a mock salute. "Yes sir. Just come back safely, okay?"

"Count on it."

* * *

_More soon. _

_Till Later,  
TimeGuardian_


	11. Chapter 11

_The Dead Zone  
A Thunderbirds Movieverse fanfic  
by TimeGuardian_

Lady Penelope stalked as quietly as she could through the corridors of the submarine.

The majority of Lady Cassandra's crew was centered in the control room area, but Penelope listened intently anyway. With the sub in its current state, she knew that she couldn't afford the time to fight off any additional guards skulking about.

Finally she found a small corridor just off of the engine room that dead-ended to what looked like a door. A large wheel was affixed to the middle of the door, and stickers proclaiming 'Emergency' and 'Escape Pod' were affixed to the door just above the wheel. _Exactly what I need. _

Penelope ran up to the door and quickly used the wheel until she heard a loud clank. The door yielded, opening slowly with a big groan.

When she entered into the chamber, Penelope thought belatedly about whatever disabled the submarine might have done its work on the escape pod as well. It wasn't until she started looking around that her fears were groundless.

The pod itself seemed to be well shielded, and Lady Penelope could see the escape pod through a secondary door seemingly made of a clear plastic. She could see lights on in the pod, as if it were beckoning to her. In the small entryway there were three sets of scuba equipment secreted away in recessed shelving near what looked like a control panel for the other door.

The problem was that there was nearly a dozen lit buttons on the panel. She eagerly set to work, trying different combinations, but the clear door to the escape pod would not budge.

_Come on, come on, I don't have all day._

Suddenly, Penelope found herself jerked back as an arm snaked around her neck. She struggled wildly until she heard Lady Cassandra's voice behind her.

"Well, Penelope dear," Lady Cassandra snarled. "We have unfinished business to discuss."

Thankfully Penelope was still able to breathe somewhat but her declaration came out strained. "Yes we do have business to discuss, Cassandra – like how you are never going to go after another ship again."

Lady Penelope bent at the waist and twisted quickly, slipping Cassandra's hold. She rotated around hoping to catch her unawares with a blow to the head.

Cassandra was slightly quicker, grabbing Lady Penelope's left arm and twisted her around to slam her into the door leading to the escape pod.

Pain radiated out of Lady Penelope's left shoulder and head as she sank to the floor in a daze. She attempted to get to her feet, but her body wasn't quite cooperating at the moment. All Penelope could manage was a sitting position, her back to the escape pod door.

She looked upward and watched as Cassandra closed the door leading back into the engine room area.

"Well," Cassandra huffed, "you sure gave me a run for my money, Lady Penelope, but now this is where we part ways."

Cassandra then turned to the panel that Penelope struggled with only moments before.

Penelope watched as her rival punched in a particular sequence of buttons. Seconds later, she heard a hiss and clank of metal - the pod was powering up. The door she was leaning against slid open.

Lady Penelope tried to get to her feet again, only to be shoved aside by Cassandra.

"Out of my way!"

Lady Penelope fell forward to the ground. Despite her injuries, she still tried to get to her feet.

_I can't – can't let her escape._

But for all of her effort, by the time Lady Penelope managed to get herself into a sitting position, the door to the escape pod closed. She watched in dread as Lady Cassandra took a seat in the pod and immediately pressed at a series of controls.

A loud noise issued from the pod and what looked like a metal door slid into place, cutting off Lady Penelope's view. Moments later, she heard a loud clank and a hiss. The escape pod separated from the submarine and quickly moved away, leaving only a view of the surrounding ocean.

With a growl of frustration, Penelope focused enough to where she could use her right arm as leverage. It took too many minutes by her estimate, but she finally made it back onto her unsteady feet – which were beginning to get wet.

_Wet?_

She looked around at the source only to find that the door that had once led to the escape pod had not completely closed all of the way…ocean water was quickly flooding the space!

Looking around wildly at the two doors, Penelope made a quick decision and grabbed for a set of the scuba equipment. It had been a while since she had been on a scuba trip but she could see no way to open the other door, and the water was rushing in quickly enough to already reach her waist.

With all of the strength she could muster, Lady Penelope muttered a prayer as she secured the air tank as best she could over her right shoulder, made sure the attached facemask was putting out breathable air, then slipped it over her face before tackling the control panel for the door.

* * *

Gordon swam quickly with his cargo – a large bag full of circular discs with radio controlled thrusters attached to each one. Once he had enough of them secured to the submarine, they could control the sub from Thunderbird Four, bring it up to the surface, and deliver it to the appropriate authorities.

Taking a steadying breath of pressurized air through his full facemask, Gordon quickly made his way to the front of the submarine and began placing the discs at regular intervals along the hull of the submarine. As he approached the rear of the submarine to place the final thruster, a small pod-like ship came out from the side of the ship and streaked away at a high rate of speed.

_Damn, someone escaped. _Gordon spoke quickly into the communicator built into his full facemask as he started swimming in the direction of the pod. "Thunderbird Four – Alan, did you catch any readings off of what just sped away?"

It was nearly a minute before Alan replied with excitement. "That was an escape pod coming out of the submarine, and based off of John's previous readings I was able to confirm that was Lady Cassandra! We need to pursue it!"

"I'm heading back."

Adrenalin coursing through him, Gordon started swimming back towards Thunderbird Four. This was the opportunity they were looking for.

No wait, he still had one last thruster to place. Gordon stopped and turned back towards the sub. As quickly as he could, he swam back towards the sub.

Gordon reached into his bag and drew out the last thruster disc. It was nearly a minute before he reached the desired spot, but he placed it quickly and turned to leave when he spotted a new object in the water.

It took him a moment, but Gordon quickly realized that it was a person in scuba gear and it only took a more few seconds to recognize who the person was. _Lady Penelope!_

Something was wrong though…Lady Penelope was barely swimming and seemed to be favoring her left side.

"No, wait! Stay with me, Alan, Lady Penelope's in the water and she needs help," Gordon spoke quickly as he dropped the bag he was holding and moved towards her. "Alan, maneuver Thunderbird Four closer to us and shoot out a tow line to me. I need help getting her to the surface."

"FAB," his brother quickly replied.

Gordon turned his attentions to getting to Lady Penelope. He kicked out quickly with his legs, propelling him towards her. Once he was at her side, he touched her quickly on the arm.

He ducked as she swung around with a fist. Gordon quickly made motions to try and get her attention.

The look of relief on her face as she recognized him was enough for Gordon to approach her again, this time taking up a position beside her and putting an arm around her waist.

He began guiding her towards the surface but their efforts were slow.

Gordon spotted Thunderbird Four approaching and then stopping about fifty feet away from them.

"Here comes the tow rope," Alan declared over the communication link.

Gordon watched as a group of bubbles shot upward and a weighted tow rope snaked out towards them. With a gentle hand, he guided Lady Penelope closer until they reached the rope. Gordon grabbed it and carefully wrapped the end of it carefully around Lady Penelope. Once that was done, he grabbed onto the rope. "Okay Alan, pull us up, nice and slow."

* * *

When she finally made it out of the submarine and into open water, Lady Penelope didn't know what to expect.

The cold ocean water was like a slap in the face and made it hard enough to swim as was. Her throbbing head and painful shoulder were not doing her any favors.

Still, she was thankful that the scuba equipment was working.

When Gordon approached her in the water, Lady Penelope was afraid that one of crew or even Cassandra might have come back for her. When she realized who it was, she knew was safe.

She felt Gordon's arm around her waist, and they began moving towards the surface.

After a few moments they stopped only long enough for Gordon to wrap a rope around her waist from what looked like Thunderbird Four. They then resumed their ascent.

It seemed like forever but finally they broke the surface of the water. Sunlight streamed all around them.

Seconds later, Lady Penelope felt her scuba facemask being removed and then seeing the worried face of Gordon Tracy from where he was floating beside her. His facemask was already off.

"Are you all right, Lady Penelope?" he asked.

She took in a lungful of air before trying to relay the news to him. Her efforts were met with a sharp flare of pain from her left shoulder and Lady Penelope gasped in pain.

Gordon's voice was soothing as she felt him attempt to steady her. "Easy does it, Lady Penelope. It sounds like you have an injury. We'll get you back to land and have it looked at. In the meanwhile, we have a sub to deliver to the authorities."

Lady Penelope struggled to remain conscious as she watched him lift an arm and speak quickly into his tele-com. "Gordon to Thunderbird Four. You're on, little brother. Submarine is ready for delivery. Also radio for medical help – Lady Penelope is injured."

* * *

One day later-

Dressed in his uniform, Parker was sitting on the side of his hospital bed, leaning over to tie the laces on his shoes. The doctor finally gave him a clean bill of health, and it could not have come at a better time. Each time he tried to ask about Lady Penelope, no one would give him an answer. It frustrated him to no end.

A voice came from the open doorway to his room. "I see someone is feeling better."

He looked up to find that Lady Penelope was standing there, smiling at him. A sense of tempered relief flared through him. She was dressed in a simple pink pantsuit, but he could tell that she had seen quite a battle – there was a sling holding her left arm close to her side, and a large bandage covered much of the left side of her forehead.

"I am glad to see that you are safe, milady," Parker grinned as he addressed her.

"Relatively safe at any rate," Penelope replied as she looked down at her sling. "This shoulder is decidedly painful."

Now that his main worry was addressed, one other question came to mind. "Did International Rescue manage to apprehend Lady Cassandra?"

She shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, no. Lady Cassandra made her escape with an onboard escape pod while Jeff's boys tried to take possession of her submarine. I just talked to Jeff before he dropped me off here – Thunderbird Five lost the signal of the escape pod soon after it left the scene. They also located the island where I had been held, but it has been cleared off. It was as if Lady Cassandra was never there."

Parker gave her a weary look. "You mean she may come at us again?"

He could tell that the smile that Lady Penelope gave him lacked no confidence as she replied. "I have absolutely no idea. I would hope Lady Cassandra has had her fill of International Rescue, but we shall be vigilant as ever. Now, Virgil was nice enough to leave FAB-1 here with us. Are you ready to take us home, Parker?"

Parker got to his feet and dusted off his clothes. It felt good to be useful again. "Let's go home, milady."

THE END

* * *

_So, should Lady Cassandra come back? I have thoughts on this that may come to fruition later. Hope you enjoyed the story._

_Till later,_

_Timeguardian_


End file.
